Iranian-Backed Houthis Kill 6 in Attack on Vessel as Middle East Tensions Escalate

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels killed six people in an attack on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said. The deaths included four crew members and two allied fighters, after Houthis fired ballistic missiles at a Yemeni commercial ship. In parallel, the U.S. military said it fired on a Panamanian-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade an American blockade of Iranian ports. Tensions also continued amid fighting and diplomatic disputes across the region.